Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-04-07
mo MANS LAND"
a Neutral Strip on the Border to be
Turned Into Cimmaron Territory.
Isi. Louis Globe Democrat

tst. Louis Globe oemOerat.l
"No Mans Land" as II Is designated
upon some Of the official maps, is the
only portion of the territory of the
United States which Is absolutely
without law. The 5000 squatters now
living on the Neutral Strip" propose
to organize a government there and To
call the new Territory "Cimmaron."
This body of land lies west of the In
dian Territory, and its shape, as il ap-
pears on the map, shows that the term
'strip" is we'll applied. Ii has width
of 37I miles between the northern
boundary of Texas and the Southern
boundaries of Kansas and Colorado,
and reaches westward l67 miles to the
eastern line of New Mexico. "No
Mans Land" looks insignificant on the
map as it lies with such States as
TaXas, Kansas or Colorado for neigh
bors. IF located on the Atlantic coast
its dimensions would appear quite re-
spectacle beside some of the Eastern
States.
The history of the strip is interest
| ing. Tn 1903 the United States bought
from France for S15,OO0,OOO Louisiana
Territory. That was the country west
of the Mississippi River from the Gulf
to the British possession-including
the present States Of Louisiana, Arkan-
sas, that part of Kansas and Colorado
north of the Arkansas River only, and
the Indian Territory west to the Tooth
meridian. Mexico and Spain claimed
all west of the Tooth meridian and
south of the Arkansas. In 1888 the In
dian Territory was organized and set
apart for the Indians, under treaties
made with them, In 1845 Texas "set
up for herself' as free and inGepend-
ent republic. and then came under the
protection of the United States. The
war with Mexico followed and resulted
in the extension of the territory of the
United States west of the Tooth meridi-
an and south of the Arkansas. Texas
as State only claimed the northern
boundary of the Panhandle on the par
allel of SO 80. In 1850 the Kansas and
Nebraska bill passed Congress, and as
first framed made SO 80 the southern
boundry of Kansas, but Stephen A.
Douglas, then in the House, called at
tention to the treaty with the Chero-
KEGS of 1888, which gave them strip uf
land along the south side of the 37th
parallel and running from the Missouri
line to the Tooth meridian.
It may be as we'll to say that the rea-
son for setting apart this strip was to
give the Indians route westward to
the buffalo hunting grounds of Colora-
do and the Northwest. This strip is
still called "the outlet" AS stated, it
extended to the Tooth meridian. So
|, parallel 81 was made the southern
boundry of Kansas, and when the Tooth
meridian was reached the boundry was
continued on the same parallel west.
Thus "the Cherokee outletn was pre-
served, and there was also left west of
.. it continuation of it, or another
strip, between Texas and Kansas, and
this second piece was given the name
of "The Neutral Strip" or 'No mans
Land" New Mexico and Colorado
were afterward formed with square
corners, add thus "The Neutral Strip"
: was left with fully defined boundaries,
, but entirely out in the cold so far as the
laws of the United States are concerned.
So long as the Great American Desert
held its place on the map and the tradi-
! ton of its utter worthlessness prevailed
"No-Ma LAMP was we'll named
: : The Indians and the wild game had un'
u disputed and uncoveted possession,
= When suddenly the Southwestern
: country awoke to the fact that acres
. meant cents and then dollars, there
: were put in rival claims to this bit OF
I : property 167 miles long. Congress has
! never been able to decide between the
claimants and so the strip has remained
= undisposed of to this day. A few days
! ago an agent of the General Land Of
flee went down into that country to in
o vestigate and report. He came back
: with the information that the cattle
= barons had taken possession, divided
u u up the country, and were pasturine
= their herds upon the land. There
~ were no fences, he reported, but ht
u could always tell when he crossed from
% % one claim to another, for he found th'
'e lines marked by posts, on which wer'
% printed playcards bearing the follow
= ing: "Take Notice.-Any-of a
'e caught trespassing on this land will b
- dealt with by Judge Lynch. By orde
ie of-N